The East Sussex county town of Lewes is famous for its exciting, and somewhat dangerous, weird and wonderful bonfire celebrations.
Each year on November 5th, Guy Fawkes Night, the town is completely taken over by rival Bonfire Societies who parade with flaming crosses, roll burning barrels and flaunt scurrilous guys, burned later on top of massive bonfires.
The rest of the year Lewes is a quaint, peaceful and historic town, nestling in the foothills of the South Downs, bordered by the lazily meandering River Ouse.
It has a battlefield, a castle built by one of William the Conqueror’s mates, a high street full of independent shops, fine ales from Harvey’s Brewery and the house where political activist and revolutionary Tom Paine once lived.
But it’s also full of less well-known curiosities and has an air of quirkiness that extends beyond the fireworks and flames of a dark November night.
6 weird and wonderful things about Lewes
We’ve visited Lewes many times over the years – heck I even worked there for a while. But it took COVID restrictions and the desire for a day out for us to arm ourselves with a map and seek out the town’s hidden curiosities, right on our doorstep.
The town is a mass of narrow and sometimes steep streets, alleyways and twittens so best explored on foot.
Rail and bus links are great but there are also loads of car parks tucked away around the town, all reasonably priced, though the cheapest are a bit further away from the centre.
We chose a rambling route for our explorations, sometimes doubling back on ourselves and finding shortcuts only the locals use. There’s a lovely riverside walk, part of the Sussex Ouse Valley Way, which is well worth dawdling along.
Whatever route you take, make sure you don’t miss these 6 curiosities in Lewes.
An avalanche without a mountain
Lewes is the site of the world’s only avalanche to happen at sea level. And all that remains is a pub named after the disaster and a plaque in a local church to remember those who died.
The winter of 1836 was exceptionally severe and Lewes suffered heavy snow, gale force winds and freezing temperatures. In a row of cottages in South Street, people huddled together for warmth, unaware that a large overhang of snow was gradually amassing on Cliffe Hill above them.
On the morning of Tuesday 27 December the overhang collapsed, triggering an avalanche that was heard across the whole town. Seven people were saved but eight perished.
The Snowdrop Inn – named not for the delicate spring flower but as comment on the tragedy – now stands on the site of the buried cottages.
And the victims lie in an unmarked mass grave in South Malling churchyard, about a mile away. All that marks their passing is the memorial tablet inside.
It’s a lovely walk from The Snowdrop pub, past Harvey’s Brewery and along the riverside path before a short, steep climb takes you up to the tiny church and its wildflower-friendly graveyard.
On a soft spring day it’s like being in the heart of the countryside.
Take the (cold) plunge
Heading back down the hill and crossing the river you meet the Sussex Ouse Valley Way, which follows the river’s course all the way from Lower Beeding to Seaford.
Just beyond lies another of Lewes’ curiosities – Pells Pool.
Cold water swimming has many benefits I’m told but, nope it’s not for me. But Pells Pool is remarkable. It dates from 1850 and is the oldest, still operating, freshwater outdoor public swimming baths in the UK.
The water comes from a nearby underwater spring and is never heated, so even in the height of summer it rarely gets above 17 degrees C, so only fans of chilly-dipping need apply!
Here we go round the mulberry bush
Well tree actually, and we did go round it, several times marvelling at its ancient, twisted branches. It’s more than 350 years old and has pride of place in Southover Grange Gardens, a tranquil public open space in the heart of the town.
With large grassy areas (no ball games allowed!) and beautifully tended borders bursting at this time of year with sweet-smelling spring flowers, it’s a delightful and welcoming free space.
A café for hot drinks and ice-cream and a small gift shop make it perfect for all ages to enjoy.
Anne of Cleves never lived in the house that bears her name
History is not kind to Henry the Eighth’s fourth wife, but she turned out to have done very well for herself, despite being on the throne for only six months.
As the musical Six has it, she was left, ‘All alone, on a throne, In a palace that I happen to own’ because Henry gave her Richmond House, Hever Castle and Anne of Cleves House as part of her divorce settlement.
In what might today be called a ‘conscious uncoupling’ she remained on very good terms with Henry.
But she never even visited the house, let alone stayed in it.
Now run by the Sussex Archaeological Society, it’s been restored to its Tudor grandeur.
Don’t ruin your day
Another public open space, fascinating for those of us with a love of medieval history, is Priory Park.
It’s hard to grasp just how rich and powerful the Cluniac monks of Lewes were in their heyday, but for many years the Priory provided work for the townsfolk and powerful political support for the local Lord, their founder and benefactor. It even spawned a series of ‘daughter’ monasteries across the UK, so strong was its influence.
Then came Henry the Eighth and his battle with the Church, and all the beautiful buildings came tumbling down in the dissolution of the monasteries, and the Priory’s treasures were scattered far and wide.
All that remains today are rolling lawns, a few flint walls and the ruins of two medieval toilet blocks. I guess they were too lowly to worry about when the rest of the Priory was destroyed!
I spent ages reading the information boards at strategically placed points – they really helped me imagine the whole. There are also small but historically accurate herb and kitchen gardens planted with what would have been available to the monks in medieval times.
Climb every mount(ain)
Along with the narrow streets that challenged my calf muscles, Lewes is particularly well-endowed with mounds.
The two ‘mottes’ of Lewes Castle are still in existence and are part of the Norman motte and bailey style typical of fortifications at that time.
But the town also has another, strange mound, near the site of the town’s football ground, the oddly named Dripping Pan.
It lies near the Priory and for years people assumed it was part of the monastery, although its purpose wasn’t clear.
But recent research shows it’s of much later construction, probably from the mid 15th to early 16th century, and the most likely explanation is that it was simply built as a garden decoration known as a prospect.
Climb to the top of the mount – it’s not steep and worth the effort as you get great views of the whole town, from riverside to castle keep.
After all that effort we stopped off in Cliffe High Street rewarding ourselves with fresh-brewed coffee, a ham and cheese toastie for him and, for me, a sweet granola bar.
We felt we’d earned it!
Getting to Lewes
The town is easily accessible. The A27 east-west corridor through Sussex takes you close by, and there are regular rail services from Brighton. Just don’t think of heading there on November 5th unless you really, really like crowds!
Getting around is easy too, Lewes is small and most places of interest are within walking distance.
But it is pretty hilly – it’s said the locals have sturdy legs to go with their stout hearts.
Our map said the route we chose was ‘mainly flat.’
It lied.
Where to next?
• Quirky seaside towns – Bognor Regis
• East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens
• The Manor at Hemingford Grey
I grew up in Ringmer so know Lewis well. We spent hours in the summer queueing up to get into the Pells. They would only open the gates when it got to a certain temperature. I can’t remember what that temperature was but it was VERY cold! Lovely article that brought back many memories. Thank you!
Thank you – so glad you enjoyed the article. Pork Belly tells me we did once brave the Pells Pool, but it was so cold I must have blocked it from my memory!